


Sojourn

by Sephinflames



Series: Journey [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, hobbit - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 00:08:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephinflames/pseuds/Sephinflames
Summary: After being reunited they found that their tragedies had reshaped not only their view of the world but each other. After spending a winter together, physically connecting and emotionally disconnecting they parted ways to reclaim what was taken from them.We know his story. This is hers.This is part 2 of the 3 part Journey series.





	1. Chapter 1

He dressed carefully. He wore white. It was clean, unblemished. He was going to meet the council and this morning he would deliver news to them that would finally calm them. Or at least take their mind off the fact that Amy still had not been recovered.   
He knew she was alive and it ate at him. It festered and bubbled like a dirty old wound. He was not concerned that she would cause him trouble by rising up on her own. He was irritated that she was not at his disposal, especially now that he had put his plan into motion. He had sent the envoy earlier in the week.

He pushed thoughts of her from his mind as made his way to the council chambers. The council moved to their seats and fell to silence as he walked to the head of the table. He stood for a moment and looked at them before taking his seat. Once he was seated the council was free take their own seats.

He allowed silence to blanket the room for a few moments. He was well aware that they would not speak before he did. He was always the first to speak in the meetings. He leaned forward and folded his fingers together on the table. “After thinking on your concerns, I have decided that it is time to open the palace and name a new royal family.” He paused, allowing them to nod their heads in agreement. “Lord Fouke’s eldest son will serve as king. Until arrangements are made for him to come here and spend time with us I believe we should keep his identity secret.” The council started to murmur until he raised his hand to silence them. “However, we will announce that we intend to open the palace. We will, of course have to host a feast for this occasion. Until we have a schedule for this feast we will only publicly impart that we plan to open the palace soon. What I want from all of you is an idea of the ceremonies we should extend during this feast as we place a new King in the palace. Understood?” 

They all nodded and after a moment of silence the floodgates opened and soon he was hearing more ideas than he wanted to regarding his plan to open the palace and coronate a king. He took a long breath and let them trade ideas. The reality of the matter was that he already had a good idea of what would take place on the day of the coronation. While his council was certain that the people wanted extravagance and grand festivities he was certain that would not work in their favor. The truth was, he was at war. While this war trudged on the people were caught in the middle and to flaunt their wealth at this time would not curry much favor with the masses. In the end the people were his, but he knew that he needed to stay in favor of the majority otherwise all is for naught.

-

It took her some time to adjust to the noise. She hadn’t been here before and had not realized just how loud it was. Thundering Halls, indeed. The crashing of the waves against the cliff face was a curse and a blessing. While it hid noise she might be making; she was unable to hear anyone around her as well. 

She had been travelling for a long time, alone. She kept away from the main roads and avoided any places where she might be recognized. The last bed she had slept in was the one that she had shared with Thorin. There had only been a couple of times that she wondered if he thought of her. She could well imagine that he was fine with her being gone. She had not been what he remembered. Of course, he had not been how she remembered. She scowled. She really wanted to be angry that life was unfair, but she had no right to think that way. She had lived a charmed and comfortable life. No, life wasn’t fair. She had been given so much more than so many in her kingdom. The wealth her kingdom knew was now at a stop. The Order had ceased the very profitable trade of dark glass. It was driving the poor farther into poverty while the wealthy hoarded their possessions. 

It was dark. Clouds blanketed the sky and hid the moon and all its light from the ground. The lands were flat and rambling. With the addition of light one could possibly see for miles. Without the addition of light, they were hard pressed to see her approaching. She moved quickly and silently. The guards were bored and some wandered the same path repeatedly while others engaged in banter as if they didn’t have a care in the world. 

Normally they would be right. 

She approached and slipped into the keep and held close to the walls as she moved towards the main hall. Keeping out of sight she made her way into the structure and slipped through it. She did not know where she was going, she had never been here before and hadn’t been given the opportunity to wander around and map the place beforehand. She was moving on pure instinct, mostly following the sounds of voices. Of course, she wouldn’t recognize the voice of the person she was searching for. She held hope that he would have a distinct voice.

She was not rewarded with such luck. She came close to being caught when a room of men emptied and started to spill through the corridors. She had managed to slip into a shadowed corner and hide while they passed. Unfortunately the one she was searching for had not been in the group and when the corridor was cleared again she was back to searching. Logic dictated that the man she was looking for was in the room that was just vacated. 

She moved to the large doors and slipped through them. The room was well lit by candles mounted at regular intervals along the walls. Chairs were scattered around the room some were randomly placed around a large wooden table, as if they were pushed back from the table to allow their former occupants to rise and leave. Parchments and maps were scattered over the table top. A meeting had just been adjourned. She began to wonder who exactly the men were that had just left the room. She did not recognize them from court, but that did not mean they weren’t lords.

A fire roared on the opposite side of the room. A singular figure was seated in front of it. There he was. His back was to her. He had no idea she was there. No one knew and this gave her the ability to slip out without a trace. Like a thief in the night, she would be long gone. 

She walked to him any noise of her advance was drown out by the crashing of the waves against the cliff face. 

-

His pleasant mood had been strained by the council. He managed to restore it with the comforting task of writing letters. Four letters. Well, not letters, orders. 

He had been forced to split his army to keep Jon and General Varen from gaining any ground in their campaign against him. Now he would be splintering it again. A third branch of his army would be carved out to deliver his message to the man he had chosen to become the new king. This new section of the army would then accompany the new king to the palace and then assume the role of palace guards. 

Those that remained in their apparent stalemate with Jon and General Varen would stay at their posts while their Generals and top Captains made the trip to The City to meet with him. It was time for them to end the rebellion. Logan needed to know exactly what they needed to do to end it. He wanted this completed before he held the feast for the coronation. 

There would be a coronation. They would not refuse him. No one refused him. 

-

The parcel had been delivered a few days ago and she had neglected it. She simply had no idea who it was from or what it was. Her husband had passed a year ago and she had spent the last year adjusting to the fact that she was free of him. It was an interesting feeling. She hadn’t been trapped in a horrible marriage. For her marriage was once of convenience. The Order had decided who she wed. They knew of her affair with King Edmund and they didn’t want her on the throne with him. She knew why. She thought for herself. She asked questions. It was unusual for a woman, yes. Yet, The Order didn’t want her in a position of power. They dare not let her have a voice against them. It was far too dangerous. She might have been able to sway the masses from The Order. Because of this they gave her to an older lord and turned a blind eye to the relationship she had with the king. She sighed. She should have been his queen. Edmund would still be alive if she had been his queen. She was certain of it. 

She lifted the parcel and was startled when the doors burst open. She blinked and looked at the intruder. “M’lady…an envoy from The Order has arrived. They wish to speak with you and the young Lord Fouke.” She took a long breath and nodded. She didn’t like this one bit. 

“Go tell my son. We will greet them in the main hall.”

The guard nodded and left the room closing the doors behind him. She sighed and set the parcel back on her desk. It would just have to wait until she was done with her guests.

-

It felt good to be home. Sure, The Order was actively hunting him. He didn’t care too awful much. There were plenty of places to hide and enjoy himself. He was tasked with gathering information. Don’t be seen, just watch. This was something he could do. It was boring, but he could do this. When he was fortunate he found some company to keep him warm while he watched. 

So, that is what he did and now he had the information that was needed and he had to move on.

This was the part of his orders that he didn’t like. It was time for him to return to The City. They were probably…no, not probably…they were going to be angry. He had taken off, didn’t respond to orders and yeah, he killed a couple of them. This made him a tad nervous. She was gambling his life. 

-

On silent feet, she made her way to the figure sitting in front of the fire. “You have returned.” His deep voice froze her movements. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t move either. “You are here to talk, at the very least. If you were not, you would have rejoined The Order.” She blinked a few times. He was right. She needed to talk. She had questions. Of course, she also had a plan. If her plan would work, well she didn’t know. But he did.

She took another breath and made her way to him around the chair he was sitting in. She blinked. This man was most certainly Jon’s father. When he smiled at her it seemed as if she stepped into a time warp and an older, wiser Jon was greeting her. “Welcome to Thundering Halls, Your Majesty.” He nodded in deference.

She took a shaky breath. Yes. This was her kingdom. This man, he was her top General.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the first time he had been inside The Tower. He wasn’t given a grand tour. He was dragged to a dark, damp corner and dumped into a cell. There weren’t many cells and he couldn’t see if they were occupied, for the darkness. If there were other prisoners in there, they remained silent. He waited, patiently. Only because he didn’t have a choice.

Finally, he heard footsteps and then he saw the light of the torches. He watched them approach. The Leader was tall. Even taller than he was. He had fair hair and skin, like his sister. Unlike his sister, he had blue eyes. He kept his fair hair short and neat. He was clean shaven and was dressed in an impeccable white tunic with white pants and boots. He carried an air of authority. He also reeked of arrogance. 

His guard stopped several paces from the cell as The Leader continued to advance, moving away from the light of the torches. The Leader stopped just out of reach of the bars and took a long moment to look him over. He finally locked eyes with him. He took a long, irritated breath as if it was a chore for the illustrious leader to be in his presence. “You wished to speak with me. Speak.” 

Daven took several long moments to look him over in return. If that irritated him, he didn’t show it. The Leaders features remained neutral and his eyes were glass. He was a pretty man. He had never seen King Edmund, but he had heard that King Edmund had been a pretty man as well. He had also been considered such, before his nose was shattered, but he didn’t hold a candle to these elf-like people.

Daven finally shrugged. “Amy has come out of hiding. She’s not so sure about your reception of her. This is why she isn’t here and I am.” 

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. I was told where and when to meet her.” Logan took a long breath. Something didn’t feel right, but he wasn’t about to give any information to the man in front of him. He looked the assassin over one more time before turning on his heel and walking out. His guard fell into step behind him. 

Daven watched him leave curiously. No follow up questions. Not a single one. He was certain that Amy wasn’t in The Tower or The City for that matter and that was reinforced when The Leader asked of her whereabouts. But, that was all? He didn’t want to know where she had been? What she had been doing? Hell, he didn’t even ask after her health. 

Wasn’t he remotely worried about his little sister?

-

She went to speak to her eldest son. She sighed. He was an angry man. He was angry that the men of the lands were loyal to the late Lords orders. They would not take orders from him. He had not yet earned the right to command them. To her son this was completely and utterly ridiculous. He was the Lord of the Manor now and they should not defy his orders.

This rift had caused tension. Tension she was barely able to contain. She had suggested that her son perhaps train as his brothers did. Work with the men, train with them. Perhaps then they would learn to respect him and eventually they would accept him as their leader. Her son refused. It was beneath him. As he got older he came to be more and more entitled and haughty. She was at a loss on how to break this in him. Eventually she stopped trying. She had other sons to look after. She worked to make sure they were fair minded men, unlike her eldest.

She hoped that he never discovered he was the son of a king. There would be no living with him after that.

-

General Varen waved to an overstuffed chair near his own. She sat. “Would you like anything, Your Majesty?”

“No. I don’t want anyone to know I am here.”

“Very well.”

She sat down and stared into the fire. “I need to know what will happen should you win this conflict.”

“You are the rightful heir, you would be placed as Queen.”

“What happens if I return to The Order and you win this conflict?” 

He leaned back in his chair as he looked at her. “You are not the last of your father’s children. We will have to seek out the others.”

“I intend to speak with Logan. There must be some way…”

He waved a hand to stop her words. “Your brother is now in command of the throne and The Order. Tell me, what do you believe he will surrender out of the goodness of his heart or the love he might have for his little sister?”

“Well, that is one way to put it I suppose…but in the end he is still my brother. I still have to try.”

“No. You do not. He’s murdered members of your family. I know you know this. Do not assume that because he is your kin you owe him anything. He’s dangerous and he will do what he has to so as to keep his power and expand it. As a ruler, you cannot favor anyone. This holds true to your brother. He abdicated any claim he might have to the throne. He removed himself in favor of serving The Order. Once he gave the order to have Ryden killed, you became the rightful heir. Even if you had wed, you would have taken the throne.”

Sitting back against her chair she looked him over. “I have an idea. For that idea to come to life, we will need time. Time that can be bought by me going to Logan and talking with him.”

“And if he kills you or takes you captive?”

“Then I will expect you to finish what you have started and remove The Order from power.”

The General nodded. They agreed. It was time to end The Order.

-

Her son was waiting for her in his chambers. He had his arms folded across his chest. She gave him a soft smile. No matter what he would become she would love him. He was her son.

“I wished to speak with you for a bit before we address the envoy from The Order.”

“Perhaps they want to know why I haven’t been able to move father’s men to aid them in their campaign against the bastard.”

“I don’t know what they want. I just know that we cannot deny them.”

He looked at her for a long moment. She knew that he didn’t understand why she would say that to him. What troubled her was that he didn’t even care to ask. “I would never defy The Order. Nor will any of my kin.”

Those were his final words as he walked past her to greet their guests. She followed him. She could not call to memory another time she had been so nervous.

-

He made his way up to his rooms and took a seat at his desk. He didn’t like the feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach. Something was off and there wasn’t any way in the world he was going to trust what came out of that assassin. On the other hand, he wanted Amaryllis back where he could watch her. 

Perhaps this was a ploy, perhaps she was trying to get him out of the city so she could attack him personally. Was that it? Was she going to try to challenge his authority over her? Had she tasted enough freedom that she had decided that she was finished taking orders?

Or was she in trouble? Had she taken a lover while she was away and now found herself in a regrettable position? If that was the case he may have to kill her after all. He couldn’t afford her to bear a bastard. Yet if that was the case, why would she have returned? Did the father leave her? Was he killed? Was it that damned assassin?

He pinned his eyes on the servant standing at attention near the door. “Bring me Vargus.” The servant crisply nodded and left the room.

She had avoided Vargus and Vargus had been given orders to stay away from her. Yet, now, he felt that it was time that Vargus reunite with her. Perhaps she needed to be reminded who was in charge.

-

The envoy, consisting of three men were patiently waiting in the main hall when she arrived with her eldest son. She could readily think of only two reasons that they were there. 

The biggest of those two reasons? Her late husband’s men. The late Lord Fouke had retired from the army and when he did many of his men followed him. These men had sons and those sons were trained as soldiers. It was well known that General Varen and his bastard son Jon had locked up The Order in an ugly conflict. She feared that The Order would take the men from her lands to complete their cause. 

The other reason? One of her sons would be called to rule. It would make sense. Edmund didn’t name a successor and The Order would know who the father of her sons had been for they were Edmund’s sons. She prayed that if they chose one of her sons to rule it would not be her eldest. He didn’t need that amount of authority. He would become cruel, heartless. 

-

He had left the assassin hours ago and just sent Vargus away with orders. He found that the more he considered the matter the more it made his stomach turn. He had come to the conclusion that she had set a trap for him. And it was a poor trap. Draw him out into the open, perhaps to beg to return, only to have her assassin finish him off. Far and away from The City.

He shook his head. He really had thought that she had moved past being…well, stupid. He had spent so much time teaching her to think, to plan, to be clever. And she returns home with this transparent ploy? 

It reinforced the plan that he had in his head. They would take her captive, in the event she decided not to come willingly. He would wed her to the king of his choice. If she refused. He would kill her. She had her place and she would now take it. Under the rule of a king. A king under his rule.

-

He was allowed to leave his cell to be fed and get cleaned up. He was heavily guarded. They would be leaving in the morning. He would lead them to Amaryllis. If he attempted to escape he would be hanged.

He shrugged a bit. If they captured her it meant he may well get her back. As long as he cooperated he was working his way back into the good graces of The Order. He wanted them to favor him. Odds are, they would win the war.

Sure enough come the morning they rode out. He was in a group of riders. Following them, the closed carriage of The Leader. He would at least arrive at the destination without a sore ass and legs.

-

She watched the envoy leave. Her house had certainly started humming. The Order had chosen a King and when she found out who it was, she was crushed. Her eldest was called to rule. They would be expecting a regiment to come for him to escort him to the palace. She retired to her chambers. She had no desire to witness the effect this news would have on him.

She sighed and swiped up the parcel that she had been neglecting. She had to unwrap several layers of heavy parchment before she saw the seal in the wax. She held her breath. The star of House Ennead. She traced her thumb over it before breaking it. She immediately found the signature at the bottom and held a breath. She held it for so long that she gasped in surprise. She had been so transfixed at the name closing out the missive that she had forgotten to release and draw breath.

It was not a letter that drove the mind to times of old nor did it cover long buried feelings. It was a clear directive. She had been sent clear orders. Not only did it hold a clear set of orders it clearly imparted what would come to pass if these orders were not followed. 

She sat numbly in her chair. She was now officially caught in the middle. On one hand, The Order had informed her that they would name her son King. And now a letter from House Ennead, the ruling house. They were demanding allegiance. Public allegiance. Failure to do so would result in forfeit of lands and the destruction of her name. Her House and all who carried the name of it would be executed.

She closed her eyes, squeezing them so tightly she saw stars. Failure to comply for either side was death. But perhaps she could strike a deal with The Order. Certainly, they would be interested in this letter, presumably delivered from the last living member of House Ennead.

-

She looked at the small unremarkable key. This baffled her to no end. This is what her father had left her? “So, what does it unlock?”

General Varen shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

“What did he envision I would do with it? Perhaps run around the kingdom and try it in random doors?”

“Perhaps he was hoping you knew what it was for.”

“I have no idea.”


End file.
